Adding a Text Field to inline text

[Former Community Member]

Using Adobe LifeCycle Designer, I'm wondering if there's an easy way to insert substitution text. I need to do this:



"Thank you for your recent donatoin of ${Amount}. We would like..."



The above example uses a floating field, but this type of object (or placeholder) is not available as an AcroForm variable (using iText). Thus far it appears that my only option is to use a Text Box but this seems VERY clunky because it's nearly impossible to visually line up the text box properly, plus, it doesn't size the sentence to the right -- i.e., it just sits on top of the text.



What am I missing? My needs, to me, seem VERY simple but I can't seem to figure out how to make this work.

[_SekharN_]

You answered your question your self. Check for "floating field" under help. You can do it with out text box. When you all floating field it in a running text by default you see {TextField} to rename or to do some scripting you highlight it and then select the field in Hierarchy window.

[Former Community Member]

SekharN, Thanks for your response but I don't think we're talking apples to apples here. <br /><br />A floating field is is not a variable and is "generated" at PDF creation time. This means one of the following two actions will happen when the PDF is created.<br /><br />1. A real value is loaded into the floating field<br />2. A script is loaded into the floating field<br /><br />This will not work for me. I'm trying to create one PDF with information such as "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of $<someValue>"<br /><br />Where <someValue> can be loaded AFTER the PDF has been generated -- like an AcroField.<br /><br />I am shocked that Adobe doesn't provide this functionality. I'm trying to replace software that was written in the early 80's and I'm having trouble almost 30 years later with a solution that meets or exceeds the original software...H-O-L-Y--C-O-W!<br /><br />;)

[_SekharN_]

Let me try to explain it one more time.........

Here is how I will do it.

1. Add a text area and type in "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of $"

2. Right after $ I will do right click on mouse and select "Floating field" from the popup menu then it will look like "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of ${TextField}"

3. I will highlight {TextField} and select related Text Box field in Hierarchy window rename it to "SomeValue" then the text in design looks like "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of ${SomeValue}"

4. Keeping the "SomeValue" Text Box in Hierarchy window selected I will do one/both(based on requirement) of the following....

A. Set the Binding for the "SomeValue" in Object pallet

B. Set the value in "Initialization" event



Note: When you design though you are saving it as PDF it is a template. And any floating field gets populated like rest of the fields on the same template based on the data population rules you set up. Finally when you pump the data $50.00 it will show "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of $50.00" or if you pump $100.20 it will print "Thank You For Your Recent Donation of $100.20"



Hope that is what you want to achieve. If you still have issues just shoot me an email at "meetsekharv AT yahoo.com". Do not forget to attach copy of your template.

[Former Community Member]

I really wish I could agree with you because I REALLY want this to work. This is the ONLY thing keeping me from using Adobe. However, it's becoming clear that I'll have to scrap all the research I've done because I need to find a completely new solution (outside of Adobe Acrobat).<br /><br />I believe we need to think Post PDF Creation and Pre PDF rendering. Say a PDF is just sitting there in a folder. It has AcroForm variables in it -- Cool! This means I can fetch those variables, load them with whatever data I want, copy the PDF and wala! I have a new PDF with complete data and I've preserved my template PDF for another day.<br /><br />A floating field is dissolved the moment you click <Save> in Adobe LC. Binding happens right then. This means when it is rendered in a Reader the data is already there and if that data happens to be a script the script behaves accordingly. None of this works for me.<br /><br />One way to think of this is that the actual "text" in a PDF is fully compiled/flattened while AcroForm variables are uncompiled and dimensional. I can pop data in the AcroForm variables but whatever I do with these variables, it has no bearing on the compiled text.<br /><br />This means compiled text cannot interact with an AcroForm variable (i.e., it can't adjust left and right to size properly to an AcroForm variable).<br /><br />I find this lack of functionality to be surprising.